Earplugs for motorcycling?

[cookiethecrumb]

Hey guys, does anyone know of an over-the-ear earplug option for motorcycling? I have tried many in-the-ear options but they are either too much of a hassle, or they don't work. Is there like an ear sock, or small ear cover that you can wear an put a helmet over? Thanks for any help!

[imreloadin]

2 minutes ago, cookiethecrumb said:

Hey guys, does anyone know of an over-the-ear earplug option for motorcycling? I have tried many in-the-ear options but they are either too much of a hassle, or they don't work. Is there like an ear sock, or small ear cover that you can wear an put a helmet over? Thanks for any help!

Since you're putting a helmet on over it you're not going to find much for "over the ear" options, if any. Just stick with tried and true earplugs.

[cookiethecrumb]

2 minutes ago, imreloadin said:

Since you're putting a helmet on over it you're not going to find much for "over the ear" options, if any. Just stick with tried and true earplugs.

is there something like this (linked) but it blocks sound?

 

 https://www.amazon.com/Sprigs-Earbags-Bandless-Earmuffs-Thinsulate/dp/B00NC2WV32/ref=sxin_7_sk-bs-1-na_22a72f1259feb431a0ec8d42ecfb520aa961a23b?cv_ct_cx=ear+muff&dchild=1&keywords=ear+muff&pd_rd_i=B00NC2WV32&pd_rd_r=b99590fc-b708-405f-a2a9-df29aad28a87&pd_rd_w=3uHl4&pd_rd_wg=oGZRB&pf_rd_p=9d0c6e1f-0fc7-4db2-9d9c-9e8c089e106c&pf_rd_r=PY7TCDH5P8THSEFS14PR&qid=1591139197&sr=1-1-19adb3fb-fdf7-40db-b78f-c677b04bb4de

[atxcyclist]

I've been using 3M conical orange in-the-ear plugs for years, they work the best for me. If you have your earplugs in as designed they should work fine. It sounds ridiculous but watch a tutorial on how to use earplugs, I had been doing it somewhat incorrectly up until I started riding and learned the correct way.

[harryk]

There are helmets with built-in hearing protection. Essentially there is cut-out in the helmet padding and inserted a big ear muff like you would use for over-the-ear protection. I do not know how effective or comfortable they are.

 

You could also try custom molded ear plugs. Expensive but if you're serious about hearing protection and have the cash they are the way to go both for effectiveness and comfort.

[Bitter]

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-Standard-Packaging/dp/B00RM6Q9XW

 

I used these at work all the time, sometimes wearing them 4+ hours at a time without a break in use. They don't stick out to get caught/hit stuff, they're comfortable, and they turn down loud sounds but leave me pretty aware of my surroundings.

 

But if your motorcycle is so loud it's hurting your ears, maybe you should quiet it down some? How do you think the rest of the worlds feels about it?

[cookiethecrumb]

14 minutes ago, Bitter said:

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-Standard-Packaging/dp/B00RM6Q9XW

 

I used these at work all the time, sometimes wearing them 4+ hours at a time without a break in use. They don't stick out to get caught/hit stuff, they're comfortable, and they turn down loud sounds but leave me pretty aware of my surroundings.

 

But if your motorcycle is so loud it's hurting your ears, maybe you should quiet it down some? How do you think the rest of the worlds feels about it?

Thanks for the suggestion! and my motorcycle is actually a fairly quiet bike, its the wind i'm worried about. Have you tried foam earplugs before how did these fair in comparison to foam ones?

[Bitter]

10 hours ago, cookiethecrumb said:

Thanks for the suggestion! and my motorcycle is actually a fairly quiet bike, its the wind i'm worried about. Have you tried foam earplugs before how did these fair in comparison to foam ones?

Wind! That makes sense, sorry for the assumption.

 

Yes, I used foam ones at work previously but taking them in/out constantly just to talk to people was a pain in the butt and pretty unsafe. These let me hear things pretty normally upto a threshold (70db I think?) and roll off the volume of sounds above that, higher pitched sounds get blocked the most it feels like. I've also used these in the car for open window wind noise at highway speeds, to turn down the 'white noise' on airplanes, at concerts, when walking around a loud city, pretty much any situation where it's going to be constantly louder than I like but I still need to hear important things or be able to talk to someone. These will let you hear a car horn or emergency siren, just not as loud.

 

I still do use foam earplugs sometimes, if I've had a loud day somewhere I'll pop in a pair to sleep and it kind of feels like it helps re-set my hearing.

[RAS_3885]

14 hours ago, cookiethecrumb said:

Thanks for the suggestion! and my motorcycle is actually a fairly quiet bike, its the wind i'm worried about. Have you tried foam earplugs before how did these fair in comparison to foam ones?

Yeah, the wind can be pretty rough after a couple hours at freeway-ish speeds. I've been really happy with the cheap foam ones you can find in the 200+ packs from most sporting goods stores. Not the most blocking available, but enough to cut down the wind buffeting noise to where my ears don't hurt after getting off the bike after a few hours.

[vf1000ride]

I use the Mack's ultrasoft, they are a 32db rated plug that was designed more to sleep in than for a motorcycle but it just means the foam is a softer compound.  They are nice and comfortable to wear for long periods of time and don't tend to try and stretch your ear canal out like some of the stiffer plugs.  I have tried the baffled ear plugs like linked to above but I tend to get ear sweet and they slide out of my ears while riding.

[zassou]

i have some honeywell, orange ones. quite good, dunno raiting or whatnot,

 

i dont wear them when riding tho